MAP31: Grey Dwarf (Ancient Aliens)

MAP31: Grey Dwarf is the first secret map of Ancient Aliens. It was designed by Stuart Rynn (stewboy) who also composed the level's music track, "Tribal Dance." The par time is 16:00.

Essentials
Begin by heading straight out of the room you're in, picking up the shotgun and straferunning to get the security armor. Around either corner will have some imps and stealth plasma aliens on ledges, with an alien guardian floating in. Continue down the hall and find the super shotgun as well as two chaingunners next to a lift. From here you can head down the center to the next room. Alternatively, go into the northern passage to deal with a Hell knight, then strafe onto the upper waterway and use the wall at the end of the hall to enter the same room. Go around the corner and down the left stairs (the right side blocked by a set of bars guarding a door) after dealing with a couple of revenants. In this orange room you'll find a switch that will raise the bars. Interacting with any of the computer panels will raise a wall outside of the room with a backpack and an archvile.

On the other side of the door, you'll find yourself in the main hallway. The doors nearby all contain ammo and health, so continue towards the southeast. The orange stairs to your right are entirely optional. Eventually, you'll reach a room with a rocket launcher and some boxes of rockets on the floor. Grab these and deal with the teleporting revenants and arachnotrons. Head again down the hall to the large teal-colored room and drop down. Use the lift on the left side and hit the switch at the top. This will raise a bridge to the blue key and activate an ambush. Grabbing the blue key will release some archviles tucked away in the central pillar. Press the switch inside this closet to lower a lift back up to the main hall.

Open the blue door on the other side of the lift. Turn left and go up the elevator to the balcony above. Press a switch here to open the door to the right of where you entered the room. Head down through the open hall. The doors on either side lead to items and secrets. The trench ahead drops down to a path that leads back towards the beginning of the map, as well as the switch to open the secret exit (which requires the yellow key found in another secret.) Eventually, you'll end up in a large room. Enter the red door and head down the catwalk to press a switch in an alcove. This will raise a door with a lightning bolt on it halfway up the stairs. Inside is the exit teleporter.

Other points of interest
After entering the main hallway, continue until you find a set of orange stairs to your right. Head down and through the hall, dealing with stealth plasma aliens and an archvile. The stairs to the inner room with the caution railing leads to a secret switch. Another set of stairs on the northeast wall leads to a door on the left. Go through this door and down the stairs until you find the plasma gun. This triggers an ambush with a bunch of alien guardians. Back in the small hallway, continue into another room with a revenant on a ledge and two stealth plasma aliens on the ground. In the back of the room is a switch that lowers a lift. This lift will give you access to the ledge the revenant was on (which has an energy cell pack) and a switch which unlocks bars that lead back to the start of the map.

Secrets

 * 1) Head forward at the starting point and go up the left set of stairs. You will spot an opening below, jump to this brown-tiled corridor. From here, go until you find armor bonuses, stealth plasma aliens, and boxes of shotgun shells. Use the monitor here and then turn right to find a new corridor where you can claim a berserk pack. (sector 222)
 * 2) In the big blue hall near the start, there are two paths going northwest. Take the one on the right and follow the light blue walkway. Along the way you will see two blue monitors. Press on the second one and you will hear a lift lower. Go around the bend and you will notice a part of the light blue walkway has lowered. Quickly get down on it and into the water, following it and activating a lift up. This takes you to a ledge in the big blue hall where you can get a stimpack, a medikit, a box of shotgun shells, and a box of bullets. (sector 61)
 * 3) In the big blue hall near the start, there are two paths going northwest. Take the one on the right to see a waterway. You can jump to the water canal from the light blue walkway here. Follow this until you see a wall. You can open this wall, but turn left and open the wall next to it. Use the lift to go up to get a box of ammo, shotgun shells, and a soul sphere. (sector 447)
 * 4) In the gray-floored area on the west side of the map, a room in the center has a monitor surrounded by purple lava. Use this monitor and leave the room, going up the stairs. Turn left to spot an opening into a corridor. If you press the left Tei Tenga monitor, the monitor on the opposite side opens, and you can go up a lift for an armor. (sector 71)
 * 5) In the gray-floored area on the west side of the map, a room in the center has a monitor surrounded by purple lava. If you head into the lava and around the backside of the monitor, you will spot another monitor. Use this monitor and leave the room, heading for the northwesternmost part of the gray-floored area. There will be an opening here. Run across the lava all the way to the other end where you will get a medikit, an armor, a soul sphere, a backpack, and some ammo. (sector 141)
 * 6) Go down the big green hallway on the west side of the map. When you see a cargo bay to your right, turn left to spot a wall with a lightning bolt symbol on it. This wall leads to a corridor with another room in it, and you can use the monitors in the next room to find stimpacks. A shootable switch in the same room opens a door into the purple lava, where you can get secret #7. (sector 500)
 * 7) If you go across the purple lava outlined in Secret #6, you will eventually find the yellow key. (sector 476)
 * 8) Get the yellow key in Secret #7, afterwards, open the yellow door and climb the steps up. Then climb the next set of steps to the yellow door. Open it for a soul sphere, and open the recessed bit of red wall just north of the item. The corridor here counts as a secret (sector 391), and you can use the lift to head up to the ledge overlooking the cargo bay where you can get the BFG9000. From here, the center alcove has a bit of wall with a misaligned texture; open this to find an extra box of rockets, and also open the wall to the left (also with a misaligned texture) to reach a ledge above with yet more ammunition pickups.
 * 9) Enter the blue door and you will briefly see two arachnotrons (only on Hurt Me Plenty or higher), teleport behind you. Look towards where the arachnotron on the left was, and press on the only row of two monitors with text on them to open a lift. Use it up to the ledge, and follow it to the end where you can get a medikit and armor. (sector 481)
 * 10) Past the blue door and downwards into the green hallway past the locked door, you will find two green doors. Use the one on your right. Two spectres will be in this room (on Hurt Me Plenty or higher), as well as two chaingunners. Use the monitor at the top of the steps in this room to lower the lift to the chaingunners' platform. Use this monitor to open a door. Drop into the green hallway to find an open door to the east, with an arch-vile, boxes of rockets, and energy cells. Use the monitor in this secret and run across the lava, using another monitor to obtain a soul sphere. To get out, use one of three monitors along the eastern walls. (sector 1166)
 * 11) Past the blue door and downwards into the green hallway past the locked door, you will find two green doors. Use the one on your left to find two mancubi. Go into the small room to the left and use either monitor here for an armor. (sector 625)
 * 12) Past the blue door and downwards into the green hallway past the locked door, you will find two green doors. Use the one on your left to find two mancubi. Use the small set of steps to jump across to the next room, where pressing either monitor will lower the walkways behind you. Drop to the left (southeast), going up the steps, and then go down the purple set of steps, following this corridor to a switch. Flip this switch and follow the trail of armor bonuses to a soul sphere. (sector 670)
 * 13) Past the blue door and downwards into the green hallway past the locked door, you will find two green doors. Use the one on your left to find two mancubi. Use the small set of steps to jump across to the next room, where pressing either monitor will lower the walkways behind you. Drop to the right (northwest), climbing the steps and hopping the gap, continuing to climb. At the top turn left and around to see two switches. The switch on the left opens the door here, the other switch, which requires the yellow key, opens a subsequent door in the hallway that leads to the secret exit. (sector 1158)

Bugs
The trigger line for the plasma gun trap is broken up into multiple linedefs, and if more than one is crossed, the trap's hidden doors open multiple times to reveal untextured wall pieces.

A stimpack (thing 505) on a lift at the green checkered corridor rests just barely on the upper ledge, making it appear to float when the lift is lowered.

Current records
The records for the map at the Doom Speed Demo Archive are:

The data was last verified in its entirety on July 10, 2023.

Things
This level contains the following numbers of things per skill level:

Inspiration and development
WAD creator skillsaw mentioned that the inspiration for this level might have come in part from stewboy's love of the Marathon series, particularly Marathon II. This information comes from a personal conversation with skillsaw on in early April 2023, while watching a live playthrough by decino.

Trivia

 * In the comment section under the playthrough of this map on decino's channel, skillsaw shared the following information about this level: